Kozaemon Yamahai Junmai Banshu Yamadanishiki (720 ml)

Founded in 1702 by Nakashima Kozaemon in Mizunami City, Gifu, this brewery made a deliberate commercial pivot in the early 2000s: while Japan's mainstream chased tanrei karakuchi (light and dry), Nakashima doubled down on umakuchi — rich, umami-forward sake built for food. This Yamahai Junmai is the clearest expression of that conviction.

The water source is a natural underground spring fed by snowmelt from Mt. Byobu (Byobuzan), drawing through the forested highlands of Mizunami — a cool, humid microclimate in the Mino region of southern Gifu that naturally supports slow, low-temperature fermentation and preserves aromatic delicacy in a full-bodied frame.

The rice is Banshu Yamadanishiki polished to 65% (Junmai tier), fermented via yamahai starter — a labour-intensive, lactic-acid-forward mash technique that forgoes added lactic acid, building wild complexity and a characteristic tartness. Crucially, Kozaemon employs four-stage yodan fermentation rather than the standard three-stage sandan shikomi, adding a fourth rice-and-water addition to extend mash development and extract deeper rice-derived umami. Koji is cultivated at approximately 98% humidity to maximise enzyme activity.

The combination of yamahai starter and yodan additions in a single Junmai expression is technically uncommon — most producers deploy one technique, not both simultaneously. Expect a savoury, lactic-edged profile with pronounced umami depth and the structured acidity that yamahai characteristically produces.